Suspect in Ocala bank robbery caught in Kissimmee

Wednesday

Mar 27, 2013 at 5:25 PM

He was about to go to prison for Flagler County bank robbery, but police say that didn't stop him from going on a bank robbery spree.

By Carlos E. MedinaCorrespondent

Kevin Lee Cotterman was about to go to prison for 15 years after robbing a bank in Flagler County last year, but that didn't stop him from going on a recent bank robbery spree, law enforcement officials maintain, including hitting up a bank in Ocala.

On Tuesday, the 42-year-old was arrested at a Kissimmee motel on a warrant out of Marion County in connection with the March 15 robbery of Wells Fargo at 3201 S.W. College Road.

He also is suspected in at least four other bank robberies in Seminole County, according to law enforcement.

Cotterman was arrested by the United States Marshals Regional Task Force Service, which includes elements from the Marion County Sheriff's Office. The Marshals' Fugitive Apprehension and Tactical Investigations units, on a tip from Sheriff's Office Detective Donald Buie, tracked Cotterman to the Sun Inn Suites in Kissimmee.

When officers arrived, Cotterman refused to come out and said he was armed. After an hour-long standoff, he surrendered. He was booked into the Osceola County Jail, where he awaits transfer to the Marion County Jail.

Tuesday's was the latest in Cotterman's lengthy list of bank robbery arrests. In 2008, he was arrested for robbing three Seminole County banks in less than two months. He was sentenced to three years in prison and was released in December 2011, according to Florida Department of Corrections records.

Six months after his release, Cotterman was arrested on suspicions of robbing five banks from Jacksonville to Deland, according to an Orlando Sentinel article from June 22, 2012.

He was eventually able to get bail bond companies to post his bonds and was again out by December, according to court records.

Cotterman pleaded no contest to one of the robberies in January. He was facing at least 15 years in prison, with his sentencing set for April 9, according to Flagler County court records.

Two robbery charges from Jacksonville remain open. Cotterman had a court date scheduled on Tuesday, according to Duval County Clerk of Court records.

The two cases out of Deland were not prosecuted, according to Volusia County court records.